What 9 Types of Men Should Do About Prostate Cancer Screening

Video: Learning About Cancer

6. You're a recently married 55-year-old who plans to have kids soon, values an active sex life, and whose father has prostate cancer. Three doctors might well give you three different recommendations. One might automatically order the test for you without even discussing it on the grounds that you have a family history and presumably want to do everything possible to stay cancer free. Another might think it's better to steer clear of the test so that there's no chance that an unnecessary procedure will hamper your sex life. A third might discuss the risks and benefits of PSA screening and leave the choice up to you. If you do get tested and get diagnosed with the cancer, you might—under the watchful supervision of a doctor—be able to postpone aggressive treatment for at least a few years, during which you could start a family.

7. You're a healthy 50-year-old man with no history of prostate cancer. Again, doctors tend to disagree for men like you. One argument for getting screened, many doctors say, is that knowing your baseline PSA—and tracking it over the years—could help you and your doctor recognize a dangerously rapid rise.

8. You're a 45-year-old Caucasian man who struggles with anxiety. You probably want to hold off, at least for now. You're still younger than 50, the age that most medical groups recommend men consider getting screened. Plus, knowing the details of your PSA could take a psychological toll in someone who is prone to anxiety. If you get screened, you might end up worrying about a higher-than-expected score even if it doesn't actually reflect the presence of cancer. Simple enlargement of the prostate, which is very common among older men, can cause high scores.

9. You're a 40-year-old African-American man. Your race puts you at elevated risk. In fact, the American Urological Association recommends that African-Americans start getting screened at age 40; it recommends age 50 for most men of other backgrounds.

For more:

• How to choose a prostate cancer treatment
• How proton beam therapy is being tested against prostate cancer and other tumors
• 11 things you should know about prostate cancer